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Electronics Engineer

Department of Commerce
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Communications Technology Laboratory
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position focuses on developing public safety communications systems, conducting research on mission-critical voice and data, creating QoE measurement systems, and collaborating on secure deployment with the Next Generation System Integration team.
This notice is issued under direct-hire authority to recruit new talent to occupations for which NIST has a severe shortage of candidates.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
09/27/2024 to 10/03/2024
Salary
$80,665 to - $125,685 per year
Pay scale & grade
ZP 3
Location
2 vacancies in the following location:
Boulder, CO
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Travel Description displayed on Announcement Text page.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Term - 2 years
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
4
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
CTL-671-24-12558554-DH
Control number
811612100

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Duties

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In this position, you will:
1. Develop and Code Systems for Public Safety Communications
a) Design: Define requirements, create specifications, and develop prototypes.
b) Develop: Build, integrate, test, and refine system components based on feedback.
c) Code: Implement features, test for quality and security, and maintain documentation.
2. Research in Public Safety Communications
a) Design: Create research plans, define objectives, and design studies focusing on mission-critical voice and data in LTE and LMR networks.
b) Conduct: Execute the research plan, collect and analyze data, ensuring methodological rigor.
c) Document: Prepare detailed reports summarizing findings and recommendations for system improvements.
3. QoE Measurement Systems
a) Design: Define metrics, create design specifications, and plan integration with existing systems.
b) Build: Develop QoE measurement systems including hardware and software components.
c) Verify and Integrate: Test for accuracy, validate systems, and integrate with radio and broadband systems.
4. Collaborate with the Next Generation System Integration (NGSI) team
a) Coordinate Deployment: Plan and oversee hardware and software deployment with a focus on security.
b) Maintain Security: Update security configurations, adhere to guidelines, and implement effective password management.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. citizenship
  • Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
  • Suitable for Federal employment
  • Bargaining Unit Position: No

Qualifications

BASIC Requirements:

A. Degree: Engineering. To be acceptable, the program must:
(1) lead to a bachelor's degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by ABET;

OR

(2)include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics:
(a) statics, dynamics;
(b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships);
(c)fluid mechanics, hydraulics;
(d) thermodynamics; (
e) electrical fields and circuits;
(f)nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties);
and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics.

OR

B. Combination of education and experience -- college-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished
(1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying engineering,
and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following:
1. Professional registration or licensure -- Current registration as an Engineer Intern(EI), Engineer in Training (EIT)1, or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration. For example, an applicant who attains registration through a State Board's eminence provision as a manufacturing engineer typically would be rated eligible only for manufacturing engineering positions.
2. Written Test -- Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE)2 examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico.
3. Specified academic courses -- Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and that included the courses specified in the basic requirements under paragraph A. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A.
4. Related curriculum -- Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in an appropriate scientific field, e.g., engineering technology, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a bachelor's degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. Ordinarily there should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering-type experience, e.g., in interdisciplinary positions. (The above examples of related curricula are not all-inclusive.)

AND

To qualify for this position, applicants must possess one of the following:

One year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 grade level (ZP-II at NIST).
Specialized experience is defined as:
- Experience developing measurement systems for audio Quality of Experience (QoE), including software programming skills in languages such as C/C++,
Python, or MATLAB, and version control with Git.
- Experience with radio communication systems (LMR, LTE), Push-to-Talk systems, and audio interfaces.

OR

Master's or equivalent degree

OR

Combination of education and experience



: Applicants may qualify based on superior academic achievement

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The qualification requirements in this vacancy announcement are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook.

Applicant Reconsideration

Education


This position has an education requirement. Transcripts must be submitted to validate that the education requirement has been met. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. However, an official copy will be required before a final offer of employment.

Use of foreign education for qualifications: An accredited organization must evaluate education completed outside of the U.S. to ensure that it is comparable to education received in accredited institutions in the U.S. Click here to view a listing of accredited organizations from the Department of Education's website. A copy of the foreign education evaluation (containing the results with course-by-course listing) is required with your application.

Additional information

This position is covered under NIST's Alternative Personnel Management System (APMS), a pay-for-performance system with excellent HR flexibilities to help NIST recruit and retain top talent. Learn more about the APMS here!

  • Your application package may be shared with other selecting officials at NIST for similar opportunities and additional selections may be made from this vacancy.
  • Click all links in this vacancy announcement to view additional information or instructions.
  • All documents submitted for this announcement must be legible to make qualification or eligibility determinations.
  • A trial period may be required. The trial period is the length of the term appointment.
  • The initial appointment will be for 2 years.
  • This appointment may be extended up to six years without further competition.
  • The appointee may be converted to a permanent career or career conditional appointment without further competition.

NIST strives to build a flexible and encouraging work environment to bring out the best in our employees. To help our employees balance responsibilities at home and at work, NIST offers a variety of work-life flexibilities such as:
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  • Telework
  • Flexible work schedules
  • Paid parental leave
  • Paid vacation
  • Sick leave
  • Family-friendly leave
  • Childcare subsidy program for qualifying families
  • Back-up child care program
  • Child and elder-care resources
  • On-site childcare center
  • Lactation spaces
  • Wellness programs
  • Fitness center
  • Employee assistance programs

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

How you will be evaluated: We will review your resume, optional cover letter and supporting documents to assess your qualifications for this position. Please be sure that your resume and supporting documents include detailed information to support your qualifications for this position. Failure to provide sufficient and/or legible evidence in your resume or supporting documents may result in a "not qualified" determination. You MUST select at least ONE eligibility (i.e., how you wish to be considered) to receive consideration for this position.

Referral: All applicants who meet the minimum qualifications will be referred to the selecting official for consideration. Under Direct Hire Authority, applicants are not rated and ranked, and veteran preference does not apply.

CTAP or ICTAP eligibility: If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP), you must be determined eligible and rated as well-qualified to receive special selection priority. "Well Qualified" means that in addition to meeting the minimum qualification requirements and selective placement factor(s), if applicable, you must receive a score of 85 or higher. Please review the following site regarding required documents to support CTAP or ICTAP eligibility and additional information regarding this authority - CTAP/ICTAP Eligibility

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